Waiting For Inspiration - The Scroll Necklace

Please Note: This Blog Post has a lot of similarities to my previous post: Waiting For Inspiration - The Agate Necklace. Both pieces were created at the same time for the same joint birthday event.

I have been making and designing jewellery for over 25 years. However, my design approach is somewhat unusual due to my inability to visualise in my mind, which is a result of having aphantasia. Often, I spend many, many months trying to start my latest piece of jewellery, yet I stay stalled, unable to think or see what I wish to create. This is a post about one of my recent creations and how it came about.

Uncle Rusty's 'Scrap Pot'

I Decided To Create A Piece Of Jewellery

For my Aunt Amanda's 70th birthday in November 2024, I decided to create a special piece. Despite planning and trying to begin several times, I kept drawing a complete blank. I experimented with my own designs and looked at many beautiful pieces of jewellery made by others, hoping to spark an idea. I also frequently rearranged my stones and suppliers on my workbench in different configurations, but nothing inspired me. Not only did I have no clear idea of what I wanted to make, but I also struggled to force myself to start creating something, anything, to break the deadlock. Finally, I began working on the piece in May, the day before we headed off to her birthday celebration.

Leaving Things Till The Last Minute

With my own projects, I've always been notorious for leaving things until the very last minute. I’m the Queen of Procrastination. From an outside perspective, it often seems like I simply haven't begun—like I’m either lazy or dodging the task. And while I’ve always known this to be true, it wasn’t until recently that I realised, deep down, often without even realising it myself, I am actually working very hard internally.

Percolating

The periods I once called procrastinating I now see as percolating. Creativity is a lot like making filter coffee: it involves a slow, gradual process that often happens out of sight. When you brew filter coffee, you take tiny grounds, hydrate them with water, and let it drip slowly, extracting all those rich flavours. We don’t witness these subtle changes taking place behind the scenes. Similarly, with aphantasia, your brain may quietly be working on ideas or solving problems in the background without you consciously realising it. Just like the coffee brews unseen, your mind can be quietly processing and refining thoughts, leading to insights or solutions that only surface later, while you remain unaware of the intricate work happening beneath the surface.

Inner Monologue

Many people, including those with aphantasia, say they have a strong inner monologue. They can 'hear' their thoughts, which makes them very aware of their ideas. When your inner monologue is prominent, it allows you to think, plan, and problem-solve in words. Being conscious of how much you're thinking and planning can sometimes help reduce frustration over a lack of visible progress—unless, of course, that inner voice is telling you you're not ready or good enough to bring your ideas to life.

I don’t have that inner monologue. I can 'think' in words, but it doesn’t come naturally, and I can't 'hear' those thoughts. As someone who cannot visualize and has no internal narration, my thoughts aren’t tangible. I know my brain is always quite busy, but I rarely know what it’s working on. It’s like a radio station that’s lost its signal—you know the broadcast is still happening, and every now and then, a crackly word might break through, but you have no idea what’s being discussed. This makes it especially difficult for me to recognize when I’m working on ideas internally.

The upside of not having an inner monologue is that I am much less prone to negative self-talk. Many friends with strong inner voices mention how noisy and unhelpful their internal chatter can be. In contrast, my mind often feels more silent and peaceful, which I appreciate.

Inspiration Strikes!

Seven months after I first started trying to make my Aunt her piece of jewellery, I returned to my supplies box. I found a silver hand forged scroll that her father, my Uncle Rusty, had worked on before he passed. I presume it was one of his test pieces as it was in his 'scrap pot'.

I also selected my grandma's old, broken pearl necklace that I was given after she passed.

Construction Begins

I took the silver scroll and shaped the unworked end into a bail. After a good sand and polish, I decided it would look best on some bamboo thonging, so I used more 'scrap' from the silver that I had inherited from my Uncle Rusty to make two end caps and a clasp.

The Final Piece

I wanted to keep this piece in its original form as much as possible, as it had been hand forged by my aunt's father before he passed away. I feel it demonstrates how, as we are learning, we are often frustrated by our results. This scroll had been left unfinished in a 'scrap pot', presumably as it was a test piece to learn how to move and shape metal using a hammer and basic tools. It makes me wonder if it was purely a technical learning vessel or whether or not it had been discarded as it didn't meet my uncle's standards. Perhaps it was the first stage of a larger design. However, it ended up being scrapped; I felt it was far too lovely to stay there. One person's trash is another person's treasure.

Watch The Original Post Here

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Moving Forward

I plan to revisit my 'scrap' and previously unloved projects to see if they spark any new ideas after the frustration on the initial making process has passed.